Abundance is more than just having money.

    Although money is often a part of it, but real abundance means having things that fulfill and satisfy you.  So, knowing what fulfills and satisfies you allows you to consciously choose what you want to create, experience, and what you want to draw into your life.

   The first step is; knowing what fulfills you and what you want.  When you know what you need in your life, and exactly what you want, you can master your life, your experiences, your emotions, your relationships and your money, rather than being mastered by it.

  Real abundance is also about flow.  Letting go of what no longer serves, fulfills or satisfies you.  Flow in life is natural.  Look at nature and how it continuously flows; night into day, the seasons, the years.  The migration of the hummingbirds and butterflies.  They don’t have calendars and clocks.  They “go with the flow!”  They know when it is time to let go of what served them for the season, and they follow the natural flow into something new.

  What would happen to the hummingbird or butterflies if they didn’t go with the flow of nature?  If they decided that they wanted to hang around in the nest or garden they had resided in for the summer here in Chicago?  They would die!

What are you hanging on to that no longer serves you?

  Look at your life like the cycles or flow in nature.  Because you are part of nature!  The only thing that separates humans from animals is the appearance of our frontal lobe in our brains.  The frontal lobe allows us to discern, and choose or reject things based on conscious choice.  Without that, we too would not be able to make conscious choices and decisions for ourselves and would have to rely only on our natural instincts to survive.

  While that is a gift, for it is what makes us human and gives us the ability to create these rich, rewarding and complex lives we live, it has also, in far too many ways, driven us away from our true nature, which is…. nature!  The point being, viewing the natural cycles of life, things, people and experiences come into our lives at a particular time to serve a particular need or desire.  Letting go of some of those things when it is no longer serving a need is part of the natural cycle of life. 

  The good news is that in keeping with what we know about the flow of nature, when we let go of the old, it creates a vacuum, a space for the new to come in!  Winter doesn’t simply leave.  It eases its way out and is replaced by Spring.  That is the natural flow of life’s cycles.

Coach’s Request:

  What are some of the things you are hanging on to that have served their purpose, filled a need at a particular time in your life, and are ready to retire or move on?  Don’t only focus on the tangible items.  Go beyond the obvious, and consider things like old beliefs or self-sabotaging habits.  Things that, at one time may have made sense, kept you safe, do not serve you and assist you in your desire for growth, fulfillment and abundance.  In fact, these may be the very things that stand in your way, hold you back or stop you from having more of what you do want in your life.

 ~Laurie Polinski

  Taking your life to the next level, personally and/or professionally, requires that you know yourself really well.  It means you must be clear on your strengths, purpose and also those “shadows” that could challenge your growth.  If you have a desire for more in your life, but find you may be struggling, you want to be sure you are clear on your natural strengths and challenges so you can move forward with purpose & ease. 

  When you get clear on who you really are and what you are really here to do, you will find yourself living with more passion.  You will find that joy comes much more easily to you.  And you will soon experience doors and windows of opportunity opening up to you that will lead you to dreams and wonders that you didn’t even know existed in the past.

  The more physical benefit of knowing yourself really well, is understanding what makes you strong and unique in the world.  When you know your strengths and what sets you apart, you are able to focus that and package it so that you can be most effective, sell yourself better, and make more money.

What Is My Archetype?

Here is an exercise that can help you begin to see yourself more clearly through different lenses.

  Below is a list of the 12 primary Archetypes. Read the brief descriptions and see if you recognize which description characterizes your “Primary” Archetype.  This is the one that typically leads your values, visions, actions and experiences on a day-to-day basis.  Then, choose which one shows up as your “Influencing” Archetype.  This is the one that makes you uniquely you.  Several people in your life may have the same Primary Archetype as yours, but it’s your Influencing Archetype that gives you your unique way of seeing the world and making choices and showing up as uniquely “you.”  Finally, which Archetype is your “Shadow?”  The Shadow is that part of you that you resist and possibly even resent.  Typically it will be the last one you would choose to acknowledge as being a part of you.  Although it is just as important to be aware of the Shadow as it is to be aware of your Primary and Influencing Archetypes because when you are aware of your Shadow Archetype, you can consciously choose to honor and express its more positive side.

My Primary Archetype is: __________________

My Influencing Archetype is: _________________

My Shadow Archetype is: ____________________

Alchemist:  The visionary, catalyst, innovator, charismatic leader, mediator, shaman, healer, or medicine woman.  They inspire people to commit to a higher vision of what they can be or do.

Artist:  The Artist is driven to re-imagine the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary.  The Artist has a deep desire to make things different than they are.  Typically unwilling to confirm, their imagination is the catalyst for innovation and never-ending steams of possibility.

Explorer:  The Explorer is driven to seek new experiences.  Their spiritual contract is “To pioneer the discovery of our truth.”  The Explorer is often on a question for individuality and uniqueness and is often restless and ambitious.

Hero:  The Hero wants to champion those who cannot stand up for themselves.  The Hero’s spiritual contract is “To prove the spirit through courageous action and triumph over adversity.”

Humanitarian:  The unsung hero who speaks up for the common person (animal).  The Humanitarian archetype taps into our desire to know that we all count; we each have a voice, regardless of our status in life.

Innocent:  The Innocent touches our heart and helps us believe that “We can be happy.”  The Innocent is optimistic and speaks to our need for simpler times, wholesomeness and honest values.

Jester:  The Jester is never satisfied with the status quo and uses their cleverness to help us see the world from a new perspective.  The Jester creates the possibility for a variety of new ideas and innovations.  The Jester gives us permission to be a little naughty, to have fun and escape from our daily cares.

Maverick:  The Maverick is driven to shake things up.  They often feel like the outsider, yet may possess a romantic “bad boy” identity which is highly charismatic.  The Maverick yearns to break loose and challenge the limits.

Nurturer:  The Nurturer’s compassion, generosity and caring envelopes us in the feeling that we are home again.  The Nurture sooths our hearts and comforts our hearts.  The Nurture has a deep desire to take care of the people and things in their world.

Romantic:  The Romantic has a deep desire for intimacy and connection.  The Romantic Archetype enjoys being singled out as special and unique.  The Romantic’s spiritual contract is “To make heart-to-heart connections.”

Ruler:  The Ruler’s mission is to create order and peace so that others can prosper.  The Ruler’s true gift is to empower leadership, prosperity and success in others.

Teacher:  The Teacher’s spiritual contract is “To discover and share the gift of wisdom.”  They are a natural skeptic and seek to find proof or evidence to validate their discoveries, insights or hypothesis.


  Each Archetype has its own strengths, characteristics and possibilities.  Each archetype also has its own set of challenges to be aware of.  When you are aware of your challenges, you begin to see patterns unfold that explain why you repeatedly find yourself in certain less-than-desirable situations.  And with this awareness, you can begin to make better, more empowering choices to avoid these challenges, or at the very least, recognize the situation for what it is, and get out of it much more quickly.

  Each Archetype also has its own influence over your personal relationship to Money.  Do you easily attract money into your life, or do you somehow push it away?  Are you confident in charging for what you’re services are really worth, or do you continually discount your value?  What unconscious limiting beliefs do you hold that do not serve you? 

  I’ll talk more about how the Money Archetypes influence your life in next month’s article, so be sure to tune in next month for more!  Until then, enjoy the remaining days of the summer season!

Spinning Gold

>

 You are unique in this Universe.  There is only one of you, and you have a special place and purpose in this world to fulfill which no one else can.  This purpose is already within you.  It has been with you since before the day you were born, and will be with you until the day you leave this earth.

 Do you know what your unique purpose is?  Have you discovered what it is that is so special about you that no one else possesses the same gifts, strengths and passions that you possess?  Do you have a knowing, deep within your heart, that you are here to serve in a bigger way?

 Henry David Thoreau said:  “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  Of course, that quote was written in 1854.  Today, I’d be willing to rephrase it and say that “Most people lead lives of quiet desperation.”  And, according to Dr. Sherry Buffington, author of the book, “The Law of Abundance,” as many as 84% of the people she did her studies and research with were unable to articulate what gave their life meaning, or what they were passionate about.  Dr. Buffington also comments that, “almost everyone reported a strong desire to have meaning and passion in their life.”

 So, the question is, if the majority of people have a strong desire for purpose, passion and to live a meaningful life, then why are so many of the people unclear on what the purpose and meaning is for them?  And, if this is true, that so many are unclear on their purpose and meaning, is this the reason for Thoreau’s observations of the pain that seems to afflict the human race?

 I spent more than 40 years of my life searching for something to fill a hole in my soul.  By all practical standards I lived a healthy, happy and abundant life.  But there was still something missing.  I could feel it in my heart.  There was more that I needed to do, be and express but I lived in overwhelming frustration because I didn’t know what that “more” was!  Thus, my search to find what was missing.  I call it “looking for me in all the wrong places.”

 I thought I would find that magic, that purpose and passion in the right job.  I went from job to job, hoping that the next job, the next boss would inspire the unique brilliance within me.  I think I kept waiting to be discovered, but it never happened in any job I had had.  I also studied everything I could on spirituality, self-help and metaphysics.  I think I kept waiting to be enlightened, but that hasn’t happened either.

 I almost gave up my search, and decided I should settle and be content with what I had.  After all, I had more than a lot of people, so shouldn’t I just be satisfied and live out my life…in quiet desperation?

 Fortunately, I am among the few who finally do find their way, and it was actually much easier than I had ever imagined it to be.  The key to living a full, satisfying life with meaning and purpose does not lie outside of oneself, i.e., a job, books, and self-help courses.  It doesn’t even lie in the next relationship, or in a bigger house or higher title on the corporate ladder.  The key to true joy and fulfillment is right here, inside, where it has been all along.  

 When you unearth and connect with your true nature you are suddenly freed up from the “mask” of who you believed yourself to be.  The search is over, and you take a quantum leap forward by claiming your authentic, joyous self.  You easily step into your unique purpose and begin to create a truly meaningful and fulfilling life. 

To your joyful and inspired success~

Namaste,

~Laurie

Act 2 Reinvent, founded by visionary, Leah Young, and co-owned by a Dream Team of gifted coaches, is a new on-line reality show committed to helping women over 40 step back into their authentic life  and move forward with power and purpose. 

Act 2 Reinvent is still in the filming stages, and the first episodes will air this fall.  Viewers will be able to watch the Dream Team coach each one-on-one with these women, and will follow the brilliant transformation that occurs.  Viewers will also have an opportunity, through an on-line community, to have access to the tools and techniques these women were given so that viewers can transform their own lives right along with the participants!

Dream Team Coach, Laurie Polinski, walks Leah Young through the Personal Branding Wheel

Get acquainted with the Dream Team Coaches and the fabulous, courageous show participants, by visiting www.act2reinvent.com.  Go there now to learn about the Dream Team coaches, the participants, and how you can become part of the transformation!

We have all had that one single, seemingly simple event, thought or idea transform our lives in an instant.

I remember when I was still working in the corporate sector; you know, Monday through Friday, 8a to 6p, plus commute time!  I had little, or no creative input into my work.  Deep within I had a “knowing,” although it was not a conscious awareness, but that knowing that patiently, yet consistently aches in your soul.  I knew the deeply authentic ”who” of me, the wisdom of my own soul, was aching for more than these less-than inspiring days which I had created for myself.

One day, I came across words spoken ‘many moons’ ago by Chief White Eagle.  I cut out the quote and pinned it to my cubicle wall.  I read that quote every day, many times a day.  But my life literally transformed at the moment I understood the enlightening truth of his message.  It was Chief White Eagle’s inspiration, and vision for all of us, that inspired me to shift my perception and open up to see a never-ending stream of possibility.  

Five months later I left the corporation to create, what turned out to be the 1st of my businesses.   My dream-come-true was not so much in owning my own business, but the freedom, creativity and priceless self-expression that comes from creating my life from the very depth of my own personal wisdom.

If you have felt that aching deep within, and know there is more for you and your purpose here, I hope Chief White Eagle’s wisdom inspires you to awaken to the mysteries of your own soul.  It is my pleasure and honor to share with you, the spirit of this visionary, Chief White Eagle:

“When you are in doubt, be still, and wait. When doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage.  So long as mists envelop you, be still.  Be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists — as it surely will. Then act with courage.”  ~White Eagle (Chief of the Poncas in 1877, also the Medicine Man and Religious Leader to the Tribe).

The self-development / self-improvement aisles at the Barnes & Noble are overflowing with books by new authors and new subjects every day.  Admittedly, many of those books have found a place in my own ever-expanding personal library.  For me, it has been a passion for years, to read as much as I could on these self-improvement subjects. I love attending workshops and having deep discussions with like-minded friends about life’s purpose.

One of my friends recently commented, “Laurie, you should be perfect by now with all of the self-improvement books you have and workshops you’ve attend!” 

My friend was right; I have spent tons of time and money on learning to develop and improve myself.  So why, after years of reading, studying and practicing self-improvement was I not yet perfect?  Why did I feel as far away from perfect as one can possibly be?  Why was I still buying books thinking, “Ah, this is the one that will change everything for me!”?

What I finally discovered is that I already am, and always was perfect!  The only thing I had to do, before I could develop or improve, was to discover and uncover my unique life’s purpose.  And so I did!  Through two deeply insightful tools, CORE MAP®, by Dr. Sherry Buffington, and Branding With Archetypes®, by Kendall SummerHawk, I have discovered the perfect child I was born to be.

Once I “met” myself it was like Disney’s Tinkerbell in Peter Pan being let out of the box that Captain Hook kept her in.  The transformation from who I was trying to be, into who I was born to be, was amazing both personally and professionally!  My light was free to shine and I was free to fly!

Does that mean that I now do everything perfectly?  Absolutely not!  Just ask my husband, children and friends; they’ll assure you that I still have a lot of development and improvement to do.  (It’s a good thing my bookshelves are full of books for this work.)  But it does mean that everything I do, the decisions and choices I make are all in perfect alignment with who I truly am.  Everything is flowing in one direction.  All of my energy goes into fully and joyfully expressing my unique gifts and passions.  My physical and spiritual goals are in line with who I am from the deepest part of my being.

The freedom to be my authentic self, and the joy of sharing my treasury of gifts with the world are like nothing I had ever imagined possible.  Once you “remember” who you are you can create your world with purpose and allow your unique energy to fully express itself.  You are inspired to transcend helplessness and step into the perfectness of You.

You say you want it, and yet, your actions (or lack thereof) take you in a completely different direction.  Then you say the Universe doesn’t work for you; that you never get what you want.  And you let yourself believe that is the truth.

I believe you know the real truth.  And, I believe you are ready to let yourself  know that truth.  I believe that the pain of hiding your soul in the shadows is no longer tolerable.  I believe YOU are ready to live your authentic life and be YOU!

          “God has given me multiple talents and I’m simply utilizing them.”  Sabrina Thompson, Kuu Consulting

Now you are ready to discover your authenticity, act in your power, and everything begins to open up and flow abundantly.  You are now free and joyful.  You easily attract the right people, events and things into your life.

The shadows are gone.  You are You; and that’s the best you can be!

Please follow me at Spinning Gold.  I will take you on a journey where the very act of stepping into your power ~ all ways ~ Becomes your power!

Spin your gold now~

~Laurie

I know what you’re thinking, “opportunity?!” While your mind may not be set on optimism, the best thing you can do is start revisiting some of those goals you had always set aside to be done later.  What better time will you get than right now to make the career changes that you had always put off. Perhaps you know that you’ve always had the skills, now you just need the motivation to achieve your goals and have a can-do attitude.

Spinning Gold can’t fill your bank account overnight, but with your hard work, Spinning Gold can help you achieve some of the goals that you have left unaccomplished.  By learning how to recognize and overcome your own personal boundaries, the goals you have set for yourself will become your new opportunities to help yourself overcome these hard times. And even better, when the economy does improve, the skills that Spinning Gold can teach you will allow you to stay ahead of the curve!

Spinning Gold can help you in two essential ways. First, Spinning Gold can help you define goals that are realistic.  No, you probably can’t become a billionaire in the next year, but you can develop specific methods to develop and grow your business. Spinning Gold can help you formulate goals to help you set yourself up for success.

Second, Spinning Gold will help you map out your plan to achieve your goals! We know that goal achievement requires patience and persistence.  Spinning Gold can offer the tools to help you make persistence less daunting.

So help yourself achieve your goals and see how Spinning Gold can help you do that today!

Spinning Gold is an innovative program that allows you to recognize and harness your own potential!  You have the skills, and Spinning Gold is a great tool to help you utilize those skills.

Set your goals today and allow your success to become the envy of your friends!